Gu Shao'an circulated his lightness skill, moving so swiftly that he crossed five zhang in just a few blinks.
The two guards at the stronghold gate only saw a blur flash past before a fierce gust slammed into their faces!
The mountain bandit on the left was terrified out of his wits. By reflex, he swung his broadsword down viciously! The blade whistled through the air with deadly force.
Gu Shao'an did not slow his charge. Facing the life-taking edge, he abruptly twisted his wrist!
His longsword, like a tender willow branch in spring, nimbly "clung" to the side of the broadsword.
At the instant of contact, a supple, adhesive force burst from the sword.
As the force surged forth, the burly mountain bandit suddenly felt his broadsword grow incomparably heavy, as though it had sunk into a bog of sticky mud.
It was the second move of Willow Leaf Swordplay.
"Willow Silk Flutter."
His powerful downward chop was suddenly drawn aside by that peculiar yielding force, and its path immediately veered off course.
With a clang, the broadsword buried itself deep in the wooden pillar to the right.
Gu Shao'an used the momentum to spin, drawing qi from his dantian and channeling strength into his left palm. His palm moved like a wave-pushing tide as it struck the burly mountain bandit directly in the waist.
The man's chopping force had yet to dissipate when Gu Shao'an's palm slammed into his kidney. Wracked by pain, his balance completely collapsed.
With a muffled thud, the mountain bandit tumbled down the stone steps like a rolling gourd. The back of his head struck the ground, and he immediately passed out.
The entire exchange had been far too fast. In only a few blinks, Gu Shao'an had dealt with the first mountain bandit.
Only then did the other tall, skinny mountain bandit react. Roaring, he raised his blade and chopped at Gu Shao'an.
Already prepared, Gu Shao'an slipped aside like a phantom. His sword turned with his body as he once again used Willow Silk Flutter. The spine of his blade moved like a living serpent flicking its tongue, landing against the incoming sword with a sharp smack.
The yielding force struck repeatedly. His wrist flicked three times in rapid succession like a nimble snake, leaving several afterimages. Then Gu Shao'an's sword tip trembled and slid downward like a venomous viper.
Hiss! Hiss!
Two almost inaudible tearing sounds rang out.
The icy blade flashed twice across the inside of the skinny mountain bandit's right wrist, and blood instantly sprayed forth!
"Aah—"
The tall man's heart-rending scream had barely begun!
Gu Shao'an stepped again with Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon, shadowing him closely! His sword flashed, a cold point darting toward the ankle of the foot supporting him! Precise! Ruthless!
Hiss!
The sword tip pierced straight through the tendons of his right ankle without resistance.
His scream rose to a shrill peak.
The tall man instantly rolled to the ground, blood pouring from his wrist and ankle as he completely lost the ability to move.
In an instant, only two Mountain Bandits remained before the stronghold gate—one unconscious, one screaming in agony—and Gu Shao'an, standing with sword in hand, young-faced and slight of build.
Yet anyone who looked closely would have noticed that Gu Shao'an's chest was rising and falling unevenly.
After all, it was his first time facing enemies alone, and they were Mountain Bandits steeped in evil.
Gu Shao'an only felt his heart pounding wildly. It was as if hot blood raced restlessly through his body, filling him with inexplicable exhilaration.
From the moment Gu Shao'an made his move to the end of the battle, only ten breaths had passed.
Zhou Zhiruo's eyes fluttered as she looked at Gu Shao'an standing there with his sword.
"Junior Brother, you're amazing!"
In Miejue's eyes, although Gu Shao'an had fought with his sword, he had not confined himself to it. At the proper moments, he had also paired it with Golden Summit Cotton Palm.
The combination of three martial arts was quite commendable.
Only Ding Minjun, standing beside Miejue, remained silent with her gaze lowered.
Whoosh!
After taking several deep breaths before the stronghold gate, the excitement within Gu Shao'an gradually settled.
Lowering his head, he looked at the mountain bandit before him, whose hands and feet he had crippled and who was still rolling about and shrieking. Gu Shao'an's gaze hardened.
The next moment, his five fingers clenched tightly around the sword hilt. Cold light flashed as a faint breeze swept across the mountain bandit's throat.
The blade tore through flesh, and a thin stream of blood immediately welled from the mountain bandit's throat, abruptly cutting off his wails.
Miejue, who had been about to step forward, saw this and a flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
Then, as though recalling something, Miejue lowered the foot she had raised and quietly watched what Gu Shao'an would do next.
Seeing Gu Shao'an's actions, Zhou Zhiruo could not help shuddering. Her little face immediately turned several shades paler.
When she looked at Gu Shao'an, her face was filled with surprise and confusion.
After successfully killing the first mountain bandit, a notification suddenly appeared before Gu Shao'an.
Congratulations, player. You have killed a mountain bandit. Achievement Points +10.
Glancing at the prompt, Gu Shao'an said nothing. Holding his breath, he quickly walked down to the burly mountain bandit unconscious at the foot of the steps. With a flick of his wrist, he slit that man's throat as well.
Only after that mountain bandit too had ceased breathing did Gu Shao'an let out a long breath and turn back toward Miejue.
"Master."
Seeing Gu Shao'an before her, his right hand still gripping the sword hilt tightly and his expression now somewhat solemn, Miejue pondered briefly before slowly speaking.
"Why did you kill them?"
Gu Shao'an answered without hesitation, "Because they deserved to die."
Miejue seemed interested. "Those two were merely guarding the stronghold gate. Perhaps they were not truly wicked. You killed them without first learning what crimes they had committed. Were you not afraid your conscience would trouble you?"
Gu Shao'an said gravely, "According to what Shishu Juechen discovered yesterday, the Mountain Bandits on Blackwood Mountain committed every kind of evil. There may be people in this stronghold who did not personally join every raid and murder of passing merchants and travelers, but everything they ate, wore, and used came from plunder, arson, and murder."
"They enjoyed those benefits and conveniences within the stronghold, so the grievances of those who were killed and harmed naturally belonged partly to them as well."
"Therefore, there is no one in this stronghold who does not deserve to die."
Hearing Gu Shao'an's answer, Zhou Zhiruo fell into thought.
Miejue, meanwhile, laughed heartily. "Good! I never expected that, though you are so young, you would possess such insight."
"Indeed! Everything these Mountain Bandits on Blackwood Mountain enjoyed in their daily lives came from ill-gotten wealth acquired through murder and plunder. Their riches were stained with blood; that was sin."
"Not one mountain bandit in this stronghold is innocent. They deserve to die. Shao'an, you did well. Very well."
Miejue made no attempt to conceal her praise for Gu Shao'an.
In the martial world, killings occurred every day. Every day, people killed, and people were killed.
But Emei was a righteous and prestigious sect. As disciples of Emei, they could not kill merely for the sake of killing; they had to understand why they killed.
Otherwise, how would they differ from those fiends of the Demonic Cult?
A few breaths later, Miejue led Zhou Zhiruo and Ding Minjun over to Gu Shao'an.
Miejue was naturally meticulous. After approaching, she noticed that Gu Shao'an still gripped the Chengxin Sword tightly in his right hand and understood that his emotions were not as simple as he appeared to show.
With that, Miejue raised a hand and gently stroked Gu Shao'an's head.
Her tone was gentler than ever before. "Killing is not a good thing, but as you told Zhiruo before, killing those who deserve death is good, while sparing those who deserve death is evil."
"Since what you have done is good, you may be at ease. What you did today was worthy of merit, not fault."
As for Gu Shao'an, hearing Miejue's words, he could not help staring at her in astonishment.
"Master, you were actually eavesdropping on your disciple?"
Miejue: "."
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